Gastroenterology is a special discipline that studies the structure, physiology and pathology of the digestive system, as well as issues of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive system. Within gastroenterology there are narrower sections: for example, liver and gallbladder diseases are studied by hepatology, pathology of the large intestine and pararectal space – proctology. The state of the endocrine system, the oral cavity, and the presence of infectious agents in the body have a great influence on the normal activity of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
The digestive system includes a set of many organs and glands that provide the nutrients necessary for the body to develop and function. It permeates almost the entire body, starting with the oral cavity and ending with the rectum. Therefore, the pathology of even one of the digestive organs entails a disorder of the functioning of the digestive system as a whole. Modern ecology, stress, new foods and supplements, as well as medications cause the occurrence or exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Diseases of the digestive system are so common that every person meets with their manifestations at least once in their life. Among the diseases of the digestive tract, the undisputed leaders are inflammatory processes of its various departments that have an acute or chronic course: inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis), stomach (gastritis), duodenum (duodenitis), liver (hepatitis), pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder and ducts (cholecystitis and cholangitis), small and large intestines (enteritis and colitis), rectum (proctitis). They, in turn, cause changes in the mucous membrane of organs, their motor function and lead to ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, cholelithiasis, ulcerative colitis. A serious problem of modern society is intestinal dysbiosis, which occurs in the vast majority of people, including newborn children.
Diseases of the stomach, pancreas, intestines often serve as the root cause of many diseases of the skin and metabolism. The symptoms of diseases of the digestive system are very diverse and depend on the affected organ. Common manifestations are impaired appetite, abdominal pain, belching, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, stool disorder, weakness, weight loss.
Modern gastroenterology has great diagnostic capabilities that allow us to recognize diseases of the digestive system already at the early stages of occurrence. Laboratory tests include blood tests, gastric and duodenal juice, feces, intestinal microflora, tissue samples taken during biopsy. X-ray and endoscopic methods (esophagoscopy, colonoscopy, gastroduodenoscopy, etc.) are used to examine the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract, ultrasound diagnostics are used for parenchymal. Many chronic diseases of the digestive system, which subsequently require surgical intervention, are caused by neglect or undertreatment of an acute condition. Therefore, the occurrence of any pathological manifestation in the digestive system should serve as a signal to immediately contact a specialist gastroenterologist. In the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, the patient will be required to strictly follow the treatment regimen and diet.
Gastroparesis is a clinical syndrome characterized by a violation of the passage of food through the stomach due to a decrease in the contractile activity of the muscular wall of the organ. The disease is characterized by the appearance of unpleasant sensations after eating, a feeling of rapid satiety, nausea, repeated vomiting. The diagnosis of…
Stomach neurosis is a disorder of the vegetative regulation of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to disruption of gastric digestion and natural passage of food. It is manifested by epigastric pain and discomfort, dyspepsia, eating disorders in combination with emotional and vegetative disorders. It is diagnosed by ultrasound, abdominal radiography, esophagogastroduodenoscopy and electrogastrography.…
Gastroduodenitis is a combined inflammation of the gastric mucosa (more often its pyloric part) and the duodenum, characterized by impaired secretion and motility of the gastrointestinal tract. Disease occurs with both general (weakness, pallor, weight loss) and local manifestations (pain, dyspeptic syndromes). Diagnosis is based on instrumental methods of examination of the mucosa, assessment of…
Gastritis is a group of diseases of different genesis with acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa. It is manifested by epigastric pain, dyspepsia, intoxication, asthenia. It is diagnosed using EGD, stomach x-ray, urease test, intragastric pH-metry, gastric juice examination, and other laboratory and instrumental methods. Antibacterial, antisecretory, gastroprotective drugs, components of gastric juice…
Visceroptosis is a downward displacement of abdominal organs, primarily intestinal loops, compared to their normal anatomical location. The condition is manifested by chronic constipation, pain in various parts of the abdomen, which are intensified in the standing position. To diagnose enteroptosis, the Glenard test and instrumental techniques are used — irrigation, ultrasound of the abdominal…
Viral enteritis is an acute infectious disease caused by enterotropic viruses, which can occur as an isolated lesion of the small intestine or with the involvement of other organs and systems. Most often, the causative agents of viral enteritis are rotaviruses, enteroviruses, Coxsackie viruses and ECHO. The source of infection is a sick person or…
Bulimia is a mental illness from the group of eating disorders characterized by bouts of uncontrolled copious food intake and subsequent violent emptying of the stomach. Patients periodically overeat, after which they experience feelings of guilt and self-hatred, resort to various methods of cleansing the body: provoke vomiting, use enemas, laxatives and diuretics. To reduce…
Menetrier disease is a rare pathology of the stomach, which is manifested by a pronounced thickening of the gastric mucosa, a change in the glands, while the thickness of the folds exceeds 2-3 cm. The etiology of this disease has not been established. For the purpose of diagnosis, a detailed study of the patient’s complaints…
Crohn’s disease is a granulomatous inflammation of various parts of the digestive tract, characterized by a chronic recurrent and progressive course. Crohn’s disease is accompanied by abdominal pain, diarrhea, intestinal bleeding. Systemic manifestations include fever, weight loss, damage to the musculoskeletal system (arthropathy, sacroiliitis), eyes (episcleritis, uveitis), skin (nodular erythema, gangrenous pyoderma). Diagnosis of Crohn’s…
Gallbladder sludge is a pathological condition in which a suspension of cholesterol or other crystals is formed in the biliary system. Initially, it is asymptomatic, subsequently manifested by pain in the right hypochondrium and dyspepsia. It is diagnosed by ultrasound and dynamic scintigraphy of the biliary system, duodenal probing, ERCP and biochemical blood examination. Therapy involves…
